Decline and Dysfunction in the American Church, addresses the unprecedented and devastating decrease in membership, financial resources, respect and ministry suffered by congregations and judicatories throughout the nation and offers an explanation that has not yet been considered.

For thousands of desperate refugees, the dangerous first step on their journey to Europe could be their last. Samaritan's Purse teams are stationed at several primary stops across Europe distributing necessary supplies.

Rachel Held Evans has been called “the most polarizing woman in Evangelicalism.” She is a New York Times bestselling author of three books and a popular blog in which she wrestles honestly with the cruelties and contradictions in her Christian tradition from the standpoint of a loving insider on a quest to understand God and goodness more deeply. In this interview by Valerie Tarico, Held Evans discusses both the book and her broader faith journey.

How can Christians offer grace in a way that is compelling to a jaded society? And how can they make a difference in a world that cries out in need?

As public speakers, you can reverse this history and bring life back to language. You can breathe vitality into words and send them forth to change the world. With the spoken word you can reach into the souls of other people and stir them to new visions and actions.

Through the lens of evolutionary Christianity, Sanguin works through moral, spiritual, and scientific issues raised in Mad Men, the writings of Richard Dawkins, tales from the Bible, and other stories that inform our views of the world. Sanguin's reflections will revitalize your faith and leave you celebrating that you don't need to sacrifice a rational, evidence-based worldview to be a person of faith in the twenty-first century.

In A Joyful Path, Year Two, we focus on some of the main tenets of Progressive Christianity and Spirituality, giving our children the foundation they need to walk the path of Jesus in today’s world. It has stories and affirmations written to help children clarify their own personal beliefs while staying open to the wisdom of other traditions.

"Be The Change You Wish To See In The World" -- Mahatma Gandhi

When it comes to faith sharing there are two poles. At one end of the spectrum is the witness who is absolutely sure of himself. He is anchored in certitudes and has the truth nailed down. You want answers, he has them. He is bold and brass, if not arrogant and obtrusive. Most people who would read this article are embarrassed by this kind of Christian witness. At the other end is the Christian who is very hesitant to saying anything at all about her faith. “It is the life I live that matters,” she says, which, of course, is true, but shouldn’t disciples of Jesus want to say something about Jesus, in whom and through whom they have found a transformative path?

What does the Doctrine of the Trinity look like if we reject the idea that it describes a permanent unchanging God? It describes a God as close as your breath, a God whose creative power continues to create, a God who we can see incarnate all around us.

Progressives are less interested in teaching the beliefs of our or any other religion. We are much more interested in teaching ethics, behavior, justice and compassion. We can demonstrate what it means to be a person of faith by telling the stories of modern prophets and saints: Gandhi, Dorothy Day, King, Mandela, Romero, Mother Teresa and others who have lived as examples of what it means to be people of faith. We must "preach the church to the church" telling the stories of those who are within our own community who have given of themselves in remarkable ways. If we want to raise a generation of leaders and heroes we must accept that we must set the example in the way that we practice our faith.

Stop bad habits and addictions and distress by saying these words: I want to stop. I can’t stop. Take away my desire. Be willing to admit shortcomings with a humble heart.. Use your super powers. You have the power to control love, encouragement, forgiveness, truth, attitude, humility, and the words that come out of your mouth. Say these wellness words as often as possible. I’m wrong. I’m sorry. Forgive me. You did a good job. What is your opinion? I love you. Thank you. Please. Make the decision to do the will of God each day.

This is Bishop Spong's first lecture in the "Future of the Progressive Church" conference held on August 3, 2013 at the Community Christian Church in Springfield, MO

The Year of Matthew is the second in a series of commentaries on biblical scripture found in the three-year cycle of Christian liturgical readings of the Revised Common Lectionary.

Are there any fun theology books written with today's reader in mind? Contemporary Christian thought leader Phyllis Tickle says "imaginative theologically and charming as well as rigorous, Bound, an Earth Walker's Handbook is the best example I have ever seen of riveting and holy fun."

These are Study and Discussion Questions that can be used with SOULJOURN, By Jim Burklo Find the book here Have you ever had

The new PRRI/Brookings survey also reveals both challenges and potential opportunities for religious progressives as compared to religious conservatives. The biggest challenge religious progressives face is the considerable racial and religious pluralism among their ranks.

"This book sees Eve as the mythic heroine, rather than the villain, of the human adventure. The biblical story then takes on a

In this fresh and creative musical, author and composer make available a more comprehensive range of biblical images, celebrating both God and humanity in language that has been too long neglected. In doing so, they have helped to prepare the children who perform it and the audiences who attend it for greater appreciation and understanding of the images they will encounter in much new hymnody.

As progressive Christians in the 21st century, we are uncomfortable with rigid statements of belief, as we recognise our understandings are shaped by life experiences within cultural and environmental contexts. Yet, there are some common understandings which continue to shape our lives, both individually and in community with others. These we seek to affirm and celebrate

THE PROJECT: Martyrs Prayers is an extraordinary endeavor born out of love - love for the Church, love for music and, perhaps most importantly, love for friends. As a musical and spiritual milestone, the album represents an event that has drawn together luminaries of the music world in order to honor those who, through the centuries, gave their very lives for their faith, their freedoms, their communities and their friends.

Powerful film on the Evangelical campaign to change African culture with values from America’s Christian Right.

this is for you this is also for the people who wake early to watch flowers bloom who notice the moon at noon on a day when the world has slapped them in the face with its lack of light for the mothers who feed their children first and thirst for nothing when they’re full

At Religion Dispatches, Peter Laarman writes a heartfelt open letter, ordained pastor to ordained pastor, to Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, the "Hispanic Karl Rove," as Greg Metzger characterizes him.

In Bad Girls and Boys Go To Hell (or not), Gloria Neufeld Redekop takes us on her own personal journey as she engages a movement in which she was raised, conducting a careful study of the history of fundamentalist evangelicalism, the attachment to a literal-factual interpretation of the Bible, and an analysis of the experience of those who have left the movement.

Yes, I’m a progressive Christian, but I’m not a Democrat. I happen to be registered as an Independent/Unaffiliated, and I’ve met quite a few people who are fellow progressive Christians but who are registered Republicans and/or are conservative politically. Just because someone’s equally okay with referring to God as “She,” “Father,” “Mother,” “Om,” “the Ground of All Being,” or “Allah” — or just because they believe that there’s no need to convert their Buddhist neighbors — doesn’t mean that they’ll be voting for Obama in November.

A pre-eminent voice for liberal Christianity, John Shelby Spong was the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark for 24 years before his retirement in 2000. His admirers acclaim his making contemporary theology accessible to the ordinary lay person—he's considered a champion of an inclusive faith by many both inside and outside the Christian church.

Biblical scholarship is an academic discipline, taught and studied at universities, colleges and divinity schools all around the world. So it should be no surprise that biblical scholars run in all shapes, sizes, colors and denominations. What would surprise many people, though, is that a very large number of us love Jesus and the church, and we spend hours upon hours communicating the love and wonder we experience with the Bible.

First, read the book, the whole Bible. I quote studies that show if you actually read the Bible outside of the church it turns you liberal. Also, get a New Revised Standard version. There is a conservative Bible project that is cutting out passages considered too liberal, so get a whole Bible.

This is the official theatrical trailer for the documentary "Hellbound?", which hits theaters across North America starting September 2012. For more information about the film, please visit hellboundthemovie.com.